Motor-vehicle.



L. G. NILSUN.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLHJATION FILED 215.23, 1906.

um. l num! co, ruooumowmn, wwlmrou. n c.

. Ow RN hm .WW wm m www@ Nwmmw ,n %H UOIQ ,nk m m 3 As 0% dz 0% Lm m N wP HMM N Q! n. HMH m w XM mv W u.. H W

JW m m n 8 2 wf/w 9 L. G. NILSON.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED FBB.23,1906.

uvm

M IWNNI o o;

o om@ @Wines ANDREW. s. enum ca.. Puo'rounnoummn, Mmmm UNITED STATESPATENT GEEICE.

LARS G. NILSON, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM B.STRANG, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that i, Lans G. NiLsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMotor- Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspeciiication.

This invention relates to motor vehicles and more particularly hasreference to electrically propelled vehicles wherein the current fordriving the motors is generated as used, by a dynamo carried by thevehicle itself.

An object of the invention is to provide a generator unit wherein astorage battery may be used to assist the engine in case of an overload,without being itself subject to the fluctuating conditions ot theworking circuit. A further object of the invention is to provide inconjunction with such a geni erator unit, an improved system of controlwhereby a wide range of speed variation may be obtained withoutnecessarily employing resistances in the working circuit or making` itnecessary to make and break the motor circuit.

In the systems using a storage battery connected in multiple across theworking circuit, the storage battery is subject to the extremes ofcurreiit taken by the'motors, as

for instance, the heavy currents necessary7 in starting, but accordingto this invention, the y storage battery is disposed in a circuitdistinct from the working circuit and containing an auxiliary machinewhich is coupled to the engine, so as to act at times as a motor tomechanically assist the engine in case of an overload, and at othertimes to act as a generator to charge the storage battery.

In the embodiment of the invention herein shown, the dynamo supplyingthe working circuit is separately excited by the auxiliary jSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 23, 1906.

Serial N0. 302,403.

separate controller in the working circuit in the case of series motors,or by r versing the current in field or armature in the case ot' a shuntor separately excited motor. The direction control for a plurality otmotors may be supplemented by the provision ot series parallel or otherconnections therefor. A wide range of speeds forward and backward can inthis manner be secured, depending upon the controller connections, andalso upon the number of positions the iield switch may have. Between theseparate direction controller and the iield switch, interlockingmechanism will be provided, so as to prevent `movement of the directioncontroller except when there is no current in the working circuit.

Ey the described arrangement, a complete generating system is provided,wherein the storage battery automatically assists the engine to maintainthe output of the dynamo when overloaded by the working circuit, withoutbeing directly subject to the large fluctuations of the working circuit,and at the same time a wide range ot' speeds of the working motor ormotors may be obtained with a considerable economy of current.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a diagram ofmy inveiition; Fig. 2 shows a diagram ot the motor circuit controllerconnections, for two positions in each direction, Fig. 3 is a detailview showing an arrangement ot interlocking mechanism between the motorcirc-uit controller and the running switch. Fig. it is a "iew of asomewhat modified application ot my invention, and Fig. 5, shows adiagram of the controller connections, where a two motor equipment isused.

1 represents an explosion or combustion engine, preferably of any wellknown multicylinder type, which drives the main or working dynamo 2. Thearmature circuit ot dynamo 2 leads from the brushes by wires i, 5, tothe direction controller 9, pret'- erably through a double pole, doublethrow switch G, whose function will be described later. The controller 9comprises a series ot contact lingers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 19, to which latter wire 8 is connected, and a rotatable drum havingtwo sets of contacts connected as shown, the contacts 20, Q1, Q2, 23,2l, 2G, 27, 28, 29, controlling a series arrangement of the workingmotors, and the contacts 20, 21, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

28, 29, a parallel arrangement. Fingers 11 and 12 are connected to thearmature circuit, and fingers 13, 14, to the field circuit, and fingers17, 18, and 15, 16, are similarly connected to motor 39, these motorsbeing preferably of t-he series type. The circuit connections on theright side of Fig. 3 will cause the motors to rotate oppositely to theleft hand connections.

The field circuit of dynamo 2 is separately excited from the machine 40,which latter is coupled to the engine so as to be driven thereby, 41being the shunt field circuit hav ing a rheostat 42, and 43 the armaturecircuit having a rheostat 44. The armature circuit of machine 40, leadsthrough a double throw switch 45, and thence by wires 4G, 47, to thepoles of a switch 48, which is in the field circuit 49 of dynamo 2.

50 is the ruiming switch, preferably a rheostat, by which the fieldstrength, and consequently the output of dynamo 2 will be varied so asto determine the speed of the working motors, according to theconnections made by the direction controller 9. The switch 50 consistsof an arm which successively moves over contacts 51 to short circuitresistances and thereby vary the field strength of dynamo 2. lith thearm in the ofi position shown, there being no field eX- citation, thereis no current at the terminals of controller 9, and it can be moved fromone position to another without sparking, but as the field is excited byclosing switch 50 the output of the dynamo 2 increases as its fieldstrength is increased bv cutting out the resistances, thereby speedingup the working motors. 1t is thus possible to control the motors so asto secure a large number of' speeds in either direction without usingresistances in the working circuit, and without interrupting the workingcircuit between the dynamo and the motors, thereby avoiding both wasteof current and also the arcing whicn occurs upon interrupting the largecurrent in the working circuit.

53 is a storage battery which is connected in multiple across the mains46, 47, so as to be charged by the machine 40 when operating as adynamo. From the switch 48, leads 54, 55,'are connected to the otherterminals of the double throw switch G, so that the motors can beoperated from the dynamo 40 and the storage battery 53, either bymachine 40 when driven by the engine as a dynamo, or from the storagebattery alone, the engine being idle. This provision is of advantagewhen it is desired to move the vehicle a short distance withoutnecessitating starting the engine.

In order to start the vehicle, assuming t-he engine running, it will benecessaryto first move the controller 9 in one or the other direction soas to connect the motors in series or in parallel, the first positions,at

either side of the ofi position, being preferably series positions,respectively, and the next being shown as parallel positions, thoughadditional series and parallel positions may be used where a greaternumber of speeds is desired. Interlocking mechanism is provided betweenthe ruiming switch 50, and the controller 9, which normally locks thecontroller 9, and is automatically released when the switch 50 is inopen position. This condition is shown in Fig. 1, both switch 5() andcontroller 9 being in oft' position. The controller drum is providedwith a disk 56, having notches 57, 58, 58, 59, 59, correspondingrespectively to the oit' position, and series and parallel positions inopposite direct-ions. GO is a lever intermediately pivoted on thecontroller frame and having a lug adapted to engage the notches ot' disk56. The lever G0 is caused to normally bear against disk 56 by a springG1. On the free end of lever G0 is a roller or cam which is engaged byan arm 62 mounted to move with switch arm 50, the arm (52 disengagingthe lever G() from the disk 56 to allow the drum to be rotated only whenswitch 50 is in ofi position. At other positions orp switch 50, it willbe seen that the controller 9 will be locked against rotation, and onlyfree to move when there is no current in the working circuit, as whenthe field circuit of dynamo 2 is open.

Having moved the controller drum 9 to determine the relation oft' themotor circuits, the running switch 50 is moved to close the dynamo fieldcircuit, it being remembered that the engine ordinarily runscontinuously while the vehicle is in active use. rlhe controller 9cannot now be moved until the switch 50 is brought back to off position,the various speeds attained depending upon the positions of switch 50and controller 9.

ln Fig. 5, 1 show a modification in which the running switch alsocontrols the direction et the working motor as well as its speed, andwith a plurality of working motors, the controller 9 will simply be usedto determine the circuit connections of the motors. With a single motor,the controller 9 may be used in this form of the invention to securespeed changes by the use of resistances, or by commutating the fieldwindings, as is well understood in the art at the present time. 65 is adouble reversing rheostat of any well known type interposed in the fieldcircuit of dynamo 2, and interlocked with the controller 9 as beforedescribed so that the latter can only be moved whenthe former is in theoff position shown. It will be seen th at the direction of currentthrough the fields of dynamo 2 will depend upon the respective positionsof the switch arms G6, G7, of switch G5. As the field of dynamo 2 isreversed the current in the mains 7, 8, will also be reversed. If thisbe done with a series motor however, its direction of rotation will notbe reversed, and in carrying out this form of my invention, I providemeans for separately exciting the motor fields by leads 68, (39,connected in the circuit of' the running switch 65, so that the openingof switch a8 will also open the field circuitof the working motors. Itwill also be obvious thatA the reversing running switch may beinterposed in the field orarmature circuits of the motors if preferred,the saine results being secured, so far as reversing the direction ofthe motors is concerned. lVhen the motors are run by the battery alone,they will run as shunt motors, the switch 4S re' maining closed.

The dynamos Q, and 40, and the storage battery will be respectivelyproportioned according to the conditions to be met, but in general, itmay be said that the dynamo 2 with full field excitation, should givesufliaientl currentat the normal sneed of the engine, to operate theworking motors under normal load at the maximum running speed. Thedynamo il-O will be proportioned so as to charge the storage battery andsupply the maximum field current for the dynamo 2. lli'lhenever the loadon the working dynamo 2 is increased, so as to tend to slow down theengine, the reduction in speed will be such as to cause the dynamo 40 totemporarily become a motor driven by the storage battery and therebyassist the engine to run the dyngmo 2. As soon as the normal speed isrestored, the motor again becomes a dynamo and restores the charge givenout by the storage battery. lVith the arrangement herein described, aprolonged overload might necessitate regulation of' the power of theengine, or the reduction of engine load by weakening the ield of dynamo2, butwithin ordinary conditions of operation, and the capacity of thestorage battery, this generating system will be self regulating. Theengine may be started from the storage battery without cranking, byusing the dynamo 2 as a motor. This is accomplished by closing theswitch $5, the speed being controlled by moving the rheostat 1li. Thefield rheostat l2 may be used to regulate the voltage of the machineet() when running as a generator.-

It will be seen that a generating system is provided which will beautomatically self regulating without having the storage battery in themain working circuit, and also that by combining the directioncontroller with the running switch a large number of speeds may beattained without using resistances in the motor circuits. Vith thissystem the storage battery is not subject to liability to injury becauseof extreme current fluctuation and its life will be prolonged.

The invention is capable of use by means of apparatus other than thatherein specificplied by said dynamo, and an auxiliary n circuitincluding a source of supply and a motor for starting said engine,substantially as described.

2. The combination with an engine, a dynamo driven thereby, and acircuit supplied by said dynamo, of a motor for starting said engine,and connections whereby after the engine is started said motor becomes adynamo to supply current for exciting said first dynamo, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination with an engine, a dynamo driven thereby, and acircuit supplied by said dynamo, of a motor for starting said engine, asource of supply for said motor, and connections whereby after theengine is started said motor becomes a dynamo to supply current forreplenishing said supply and for exciting said first dynamo,substantially as described.

el. The combination with an engine, a separately excited dynamo driventhereby, and a working circuit supplied by said dynamo, of an excitingdynamo driven by said engine and supplying current for exciting -saidseparately excited dynamo, a storage battery connected in multiple withsaid exciting dynamo, and connections whereby said storage battery canbe used to start -the system using the exciting dynamo as a motor, tosupply the exciting current for the first dynamo, and to supply theworking circuit directly, substantially as described.

5. The combination with an engine.v a dynamo driven thereby, and aworking circuit supplied by said dynamo, of a storage battery and meanswhereby said storage battery in case of' an overload automaticallysupplies energy to mechanically assist the engine in driving the dynamo,substantially as described.

6. The combination with an engine, a dynamo driven thereby, and aworking circuit supplied by'said dynamo, of a storage battery and meanswhereby said storage battery in case of an overload auton'iaticallysupplies energy to mechanically assist the engine in driving the dynamo,and means in the storage' battery circuit for controlling the output ofthe dynamo, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LABS G. NILSON.

IVitnesses JULIAN S. lVoosTER, Gro. N. Knan.

